Waterjet systems typically are configured to produce a high-velocity jet of water or another suitable fluid that can be directed toward a workpiece to rapidly erode portions of the workpiece. This technology can be used in precision cutting, shaping, carving, and reaming, among other applications. Abrasive particles can be added to a waterjet fluid to increase the rate of erosion. When abrasive is present, a waterjet system can be referred to as an abrasive-waterjet system or as an abrasive-jet system. In comparison to other precision machining technologies, e.g., grinding and plasma cutting, abrasive-jet systems can have certain advantages. For example, abrasive jet systems often produce particularly fine and clean cuts, typically without a heat-affected zone around the cut. Abrasive-jet systems also can be highly versatile with respect to the material type of the workpiece. The range of materials that can be processed using abrasive-jet technology includes very soft materials, e.g., rubber, foam, leather, and paper, as well as very hard materials, e.g., stone and metal.
Abrasive-jet systems can include pumps capable of pressurizing fluid to extremely high pressures, e.g., 40,000 to 100,000 psi or more. This can be accomplished, for example, using an electric radial-displacement pump that pressurizes hydraulic oil that, in turn, drives an intensifier pump. High-pressure fluid from the intensifier pump can be routed to a cutting head where it can pass through an orifice toward a workpiece. The orifice can be configured to convert static pressure of the fluid into kinetic energy such that the fluid exits the office at extremely high speed, e.g., up to 2,500 feet-per-second or more. The orifice typically is a hard jewel, e.g., a synthetic sapphire, ruby, or diamond, held in an orifice mount. Waste from an abrasive jet process can be minimal. In many cases, very little smoke or dust is generated during operation of an abrasive jet system. Moreover, the fluid and abrasive often can be recycled. In some abrasive jet processes, a workpiece is mounted in a suitable jig and the jig and/or the cutting head is moved under computer or robotic control. In this way, highly complex processing can be executed automatically.